Charter of professionals selling (CoPS) launched at HRD

Sales 101, the training and management consultancy, is launching a code of practice for sales professionals. The Charter of Professional Selling (CoPS) has been developed in response to customer demand for a more ethical approach to salesmanship. Sales 101 will launch CoPS at the HRD exhibition, London Docklands, on 17-19 April, 2007.

ìThere is no doubt,î says Perry Burns, managing director of Sales 101 Ltd, ìthat selling has developed a poor reputation in the public eye; our charter is an attempt to put matters right in the eyes of the buying public.

Although there are plenty of highly respected sales institutions, thereís nowhere for a salesperson to publicly commit him or herself to an ethical approach as you would find with most other professions.

CoPS consists of ten pledges including a promise to behave honestly and truthfully and an undertaking to offer goods and services only if the salesperson genuinely believes there is a need for them.

ìThe days of high pressure salesmanship are long gone,î says Burns. ìBy subscribing to the charter, the salesperson is affirming that they will avoid using hard sell techniques and do their best for their customer, their employer and themselves.

Sales people wishing to register for the scheme, which is free of charge, simply visit the Sales 101 website at http://www.sales101.co.uk/charter and fill in a short form. Their name and company will then be published on the website and any customer wishing to confirm that their salesman has subscribed to the charter will be able to do so quickly and easily.

Subscribers will have the opportunity to use the CoPS logo on email, letterheads and business cards.

Customers who are the victims of poor salesmanship will be able to report offenders to the site and the relevant salespersonsí names will be removed if they are found to have violated the code.

ìThere will always be rogue salespeople,î says Perry Burns, ìbut we hope that, when a salesperson subscribes to the charter, their customers will be comforted that he or she will deal with them professionally.î

Any person selling products or services can subscribe to CoPS.